A Good Deed Never Goes Unturned
by Y2Jen
Summary: Durring senior graduation, Kari Ketchum's life is changed forever by an earthquake which brings her closer to the WWE and Chris Jericho than she could've ever imagined! (finished story)
1. Lean On Me

Tuesday morning @ NY  
  
"Wow, this is gonna be some flight." Chris Jericho was saying as they were cleaning out their hotel rooms.  
  
"I hear ya man, going from NY to LA, dam." Chris Benoit replied.  
  
"You guys ready yet?" RVD poked his head in the doorway.  
  
"Almost." The two Chris's called.  
  
"Hey guys chill, the plane isn't leaving until tonight." Triple H laughed. The four of them finally were cleared out and went to the elevator where they ran into The Rock and Kurt Angle. They all waited as the elevator began to lower them down. They'd look around or stare at one part of the room, but nobody would talk. They were either tired or nervous. They were going to be doing the SmackDown live on Thursday. The door soon opened and they found Vince McMahon waiting in the lobby.  
  
"About time, let's go to the airport." He replied.  
  
"But we still have hours!" Jericho complained.  
  
"Don't worry, there's stuff to do still, I'm just getting everyone set up together." Vince said in a whiney voice to mock Chris. He walked off and Jericho blushed.  
  
"Mr. Big mouth." Benoit snickered under his breath as they got on the bus. They drove to the airport where all the superstars were cramped into a private room so nobody could attack them for autographs or whatever. Vince was talking at the lobby desk to clear up some complications.  
  
"Well what do we do now?" RVD sighed.  
  
"Turn on the TV?" Triple H suggested.  
  
"No Hunter don't, it's soap time!" Jericho cried and as soon as the TV turned on, nothing but soap operas and talk shows filled the air. Everyone began to moan and groan and cover their ears jokingly until Triple H finally stopped laughing and turned it off .  
  
"Well, I guess we should just wait for Vince to return." Stone Cold sighed. Everyone agreed with Steve Austin, but in truth, there was nothing else they could do.  
  
Tuesday morning @ LA  
  
"Come on Kari, pick up the phone!" A girls voice was heard on the machine and another girl picked up the phone.  
  
"Sarah?" She asked.  
  
"Yea it's me." The girl replied.  
  
"What's up?" Kari asked.  
  
"Well, do you know where we pick up our cap and gowns for the graduation ceremony tonight?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Yea, we go to our first period… I think." Kari said.  
  
"Oh, the bus is here! I'll meet you at school!" Sarah said and hung up.  
  
"Who was it?" A voice asked, it was a boys.  
  
"It was just Sarah, Mike." Kari replied.  
  
"Kari, Mikile, hurry up!" Their dad's voice called as the two kids ran downstairs. Kari was a senior in high school while her brother was a freshman. Today was the last day of school for Kari but it was a day of finals for her brother. They ran outside to get on the bus and they sat down towards the back. The bus stopped to pick up some other kids but the bus of rowdy, rambunctious kids was soon at school.  
  
"Sarah!" Kari waved as she jumped off the bus. Sarah and her sister Rene came over.  
  
"Hi Rene." Mikile called as he stepped off. Rene was a sophomore. They walked to the library to hang out with some friends while Sarah and Kari talked.  
  
"Let's go, on the bus I heard that we have to go to homeroom asap." Sarah said.  
  
"Alright, let's go then." They ran off and went to their English class where others were already getting ready for the ceremony later on.  
  
"So, what are you gonna do during break? I'm going camping with Rene and a few friends. You wanna come if you're not busy?" Sarah asked as they looked for their cap and gown in the mess of boxes set on the floor.  
  
"When do you leave?" Kari asked as she found Sarah's stuff.  
  
"Tomorrow." Sarah replied as she took her cap and put it on.  
  
"Oh I can't." Kari sighed. "No offense, but I have a more important encounter."  
  
"What?" Sarah looked up from her gown confused. "Oh yea, that WWF thing."  
  
"Yea, that WWF thing!" Kari laughed. "I'm wearing this Y2J shirt today but I'm gonna wear my new one tomorrow with my Jericho hat and pendant and everything."  
  
"So, no Lakers hat?" Sarah grinned as she took it off her friend's head to place on the black cap. "Don't wanna express your loyalty to the three-peat champions?"  
  
"Hey!" Kari smirked and she blew the tassel. "I love these things. Meow!" They laughed as they got suited up and waited for the bell to ring. It soon did and everyone was in their seats all dressed and ready.  
  
"Alright class." Their teacher replied. "Last day, so let's go!" Everybody let out a cheer and they poured out of the classroom to join the other parading seniors in the hall.  
  
"Where are we going again?" Kari asked.  
  
"Follow the crowd, I think it's to the auditorium." Sarah replied. Kari nodded. The auditorium was soon full.  
  
"Alright guys, settle down." The principle called to order and everyone silenced. "That's better, these four years of training paid off." There were a few laughs. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, but I'm never good with them, so let's just skip to the diplomas." A few others laughed as he began to call out names and about 20 at a time went up to stand in a line for pictures. Soon Sarah and Kari went up and it was soon over.  
  
"Whew, that was fast." Kari grinned.  
  
"Yea, I guess the line did move fast." Sarah shrugged.  
  
"No, I meant these four years." Kari shoved her playfully.  
  
"Now if you go out to the lawn and get a drink or snack, remember to come back in here so we can go over the final photo in the football field." The principal said. The kids began to get up, go outside and stretch.  
  
"I bet this will be a day to remember." Kari said as she swallowed a gulp of soda.  
  
"Yea, something that should go down in history." Sarah joked and drank hers. All the other kids were laughing too and as they finished up, the group began to head back into the auditorium.  
  
"Hey, did you hear something?" The vice principal asked the principal.  
  
"Maybe it was the kids. I feel the motion of their feet as they come back in." The principal replied.  
  
"No really, I heard a rumble." The lady replied.  
  
"And I felt the rumble." The man said. The kids stopped as about half were inside. Everyone was silent and the two adults looked down at them from the stage. Everyone began to look around, confused. But that's when the principal and vice principal looked at each other. The kids could sense it too now.  
  
"Earthquake!" They cried and began to run around as the rumble grew louder and the floor shook violently.  
  
"Remain calm, remain- ouch!" The principal cried as he fell over the vice principal. Kari and Sarah were one of the first to get out, they ran past the cafeteria but they all stopped as the few in front were blasted back by a blast of water. Kari screamed.  
  
"The pipeline must have broke, ah!" Sarah cried as everyone began to run out to the field like had been planned in all the drills.  
  
"Everyone, fall down!" Kari yelled at the top of her lungs and all them did. They dove forward and the motion caused most of their caps and gowns to fall off. Some looked up to see if the other classes were coming out, but the only other ones out there were the ones running the mile in PE. "Where's everyone?"  
  
"I hope they're not trapped!" Sarah gasped. Somebody began to yell out for another person, but the cries were drowned out by thunderous bangs of the buildings being rattled and torn and collapsing. Kari held the ground tightly, but the motion began to make her seasick so she let go and flew onto some boy.  
  
"Hang on!" He gasped and grabbed onto her. "I don't think they all made it!" Kari and the boy looked up and they looked in horror as they could see big office buildings in the distance crumbling. A big tree fell near the group of people and they let out a scream, and then suddenly the earthquake began to lighten until it stopped.  
  
"That was like 5 minutes or something." Sarah estimated.  
  
"Wow." The boy gasped as he helped Kari up.  
  
"Oh my god." Everyone began to look around. You could smell smoke of fire and hear cries of people and of sirens. News choppers were already seen flying around.  
  
"That was louder than a train, thunderstorm and jet plane combined. And it was worse than any earthquake I've ever been in, and I've lived here all my life." Kari said.  
  
"Let's stop talking, we're the only ones who made it out." The two gym teachers cried and ran over. "We have to search for survivors."  
  
"Right, let's go guys." The boy cried and everyone got up and ran to buildings to call for help and try to dig up a person.  
  
"If it's this bad here, think of downtown with all those skyscrapers." Kari stopped in her tracks. "What about our families? My dad was at a meeting today downtown!"  
  
"First things first, we'll cross that bridge when it comes up." Sarah replied and they began to run again. They were worried but didn't even want to think about it. Only a few survivors were found because the doors and windows had been pressed shut by the walls and the buildings collapses. The only reason they were closed was because of the noise of the rowdy seniors. One of the survivors was Rene, but Mikile wasn't found alive.  
  
"What do we do now?" The principal asked the vice principal.  
  
"Call 911?" She suggested.  
  
"I did, they should be here soon, but there are many other places that need help more than we do." The principal sighed. The female PE teacher got out her radio.  
  
"Here, this might be of help." She replied. They turned it on to find news.  
  
"And the earthquake set a record for California by being as big as the San Francisco quake back in the early 20th century." The newsperson replied. "Nobody knows how long it will take for everyone to be found, but from studio hill, I can see the damage is pretty. We'll be updating you every half hour with any news at all, good or bad."  
  
"Well, all we can do now is wait." The vice principal sighed as everyone began to sit down. That's when somebody called out and the first after shock hit. Everyone screamed as the quake rattled them all again, but this one only lasted about a minute.  
  
"Everyone ok?" The principal asked after a while and everyone began to get up again. "This is obviously not safe, but it might be the safest place out here."  
  
"Wait, I have a TV in the gym office." The male PE teacher ran off.  
  
"I know one thing." Kari said to Rene and Sarah. "If Staples Center is destroyed, I think my life is pretty much as dead as my brothers." They all became quiet.  
  
Tuesday afternoon @ NY  
  
"Ok, I have it all cleared up. We'll be traveling on our own plane." Vince announced and the superstars cheered and that's when every traveler going by air's nightmare was heard on the loudspeaker.  
  
"The flight, NY to LA will be delayed." The ladies voice said.  
  
"Aw man!" Everyone sighed and slumped down in disappointment.  
  
"Great, the plane must be late from LAX or something." Jericho groaned.  
  
"Well, it's noon. I doubt it's still soap news time." Triple H grinned and turned on the TV. Vince began to flip though the channels, he could feel something was wrong.  
  
"Hey!" RVD cried but Vince shushed him. They all watched the screen change. Finally Vince found the channel for CNN nation news. "That's it?"  
  
"Shut up." Vince whispered and turned up the volume.  
  
"And so, the use of transporting things from Canada to Mexico will no longer be used by the Hawaii fare service." The man on the news was saying.  
  
"That's what you were looking for?" Benoit whispered to Vince.  
  
"Shut up." Kurt nudged him and The Rock elbowed him to stop it too.  
  
"And in current news, we'll be taking you live to Los Angeles where an earthquake has just hit and experts claim to say that it was just as bad if not worse on the rector scale as the San Francisco quake long ago." The newscaster said and everyone gasped. Chris Jericho stared at the screen wide eyed and jaw dropped. Everyone stared in dead silence and their faces went pale. "We now go to our eye in the sky chopper."  
  
"Well it looks pretty bad out here, I'll show you the camera's view. I staked out the best spot, so to speak." The man in the helicopter replied, they could tell by the tone of his voice that he was trying not to cry. The camera went to a shot of downtown LA where not a single skyscraper stood more than 5 to 10 stories. Fires were noticeable by the streaming dark lines of the black smoke. A few superstars began to mutter in the back corner, Hogan, Goldust and Terri. The destruction looked like Independence Day.  
  
"Oh my god, what the hell?" Chris Jericho choked as the camera scanned across the once mighty Los Angeles to show all the destruction of anything and everything.  
  
"The other effected counties were the neighbors of LA which are Ventura and Orange." The man in the chopper went on. "A few after shocks have hit but the authorities say that it's not over and you should remain indoors for safety.  
  
"Thank you, we'll be getting back." The lady said. " We now go live to the ground floor where we have a local newscaster at a high school interviewing."  
  
"So you say you were in the graduation ceremonies?" The man was asking the principal and vice principal. No superstar took their eyes off the TV screen.  
  
"That's right, we were in the auditorium." The principal nodded.  
  
"Then what happened." The interviewer went on.  
  
"Well, we could feel and hear the earthquake and we began to ran out as we sensed it coming. But even then I fear that some of them were too late." The principal was saying, noticeable that he was trying not to cry. "And the firemen say that because of the buildings poor design that all the other classrooms, who's doors were closed because of the graduation noise, the walls gave out first and locked the escape openings tightly shut and well, they fear that few other survivors will be found, or found alive."  
  
"How many survived?" The interviewer asked the vice principal.  
  
"Well, the two PE classes and most of the seniors and a few others they daringly went to rescue by the way. These kids are very risky but very brave." She replied.  
  
"Here, perhaps we can get an interview with one of them?" The interview began to walk around as the camera followed. The superstars could see the kids running across the field or tending the ones laying down injured or standing being interviewed. "Oh, you over there with the two girls." He ran over and the camera guy followed. He was referring to the boy who helped Kari and he was talking to Sarah and Rene. "Can you tell me what you were thinking during this terrible turn of wonderful events?"  
  
"Well, we were happy about graduating but then we just felt like we were running for our lives and we weren't even thinking about what we were doing." The boy said.  
  
"We were just so scared." Sarah replied. "My sister was trapped in a building but we were able to save her with a few others who were very lucky."  
  
"You were trapped? For how long, what was it like?" The man asked Rene.  
  
"Well, scared and praying, we didn't think we'd make it. But I guess we were only trapped for maybe 10 minutes or so." Rene replied and that's when the familiar roar began to fill the air and screams could be heard and the kids in the background dropped.  
  
"After shock, get down!" The newsman called and he and the camera guy went down, so did the boy and Sarah, but Rene was scared and confused. That's when the tree they were standing by began to shake and a big limb fell loose and was headed for Rene.  
  
"Rene look out!" Kari's voice was heard and she speared her out of the way as the branch fell on her. Now, this was all in range of the camera so the superstars saw this. They all cried out and a few of the divas turned their eyes away. Jericho stood up.  
  
"No!" He cried, he had noticed her Y2J shirt. "WWF fans are in trouble."  
  
"No duh, the whole city is in trouble and we're headed there." RVD shivered.  
  
"Shut up!" Vince had to silence again. They turned back to the TV.  
  
"No, Kari!" Rene and Sarah cried.  
  
"The shock is over." The boy said as he got up, the trio ran to pull off the branch.  
  
"This brave girl could have just given her life, and you all saw it live!" The man said as he ran over to help pull Kari out. They did it. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Am I dead?" Kari opened her eyes and asked dazed. "If I am, my WWF tickets are useless."  
  
"No, you're alive and you just saved this girl." The interviewer replied and put a hand on his headset. "Oh, we've already taken too long on this segment. We'll be back later with more coverage live." The man said and the camera went back to the CNN station.  
  
"Wow, thank you. Coming up next after the break." The lady started and that's when Jericho turned off the TV.  
  
"Hey!" Everyone yelled and turned to him with a leer.  
  
"Guys, don't you see, the people need us down there. Don't be so selfish, we still have to go down there." He cried as he stood at the front of the room.  
  
"You just want to go help that girl in the Y2J shirt." Benoit sighed.  
  
"No I don't, maybe I'll help her first but I'll help them all in the end. Now, are there any hero's here who are with me?" Jericho replied.  
  
"I'm with you!" RVD, Triple H, The Rock and Kurt Angle stood up.  
  
"Count us all in!" Al Snow added and everyone nodded. Chris grinned.  
  
"Good, let's go Vince!" Jericho turned around.  
  
"Alright hero, the plane doesn't leave for another two hours." Vince replied.  
  
"Do'h!" Jericho growled to himself and they all settled down to think.  
  
Will the superstars be able to get to LA safely and in time? Will Kari and the rest of the fans be able to make it to Staples Center if it's even still in existence? Find out in Ch. 2! 


	2. 9 Lives Of The Kitty-Kat

Tuesday afternoon @ LA  
  
"Well, what do we do now Kari?" Sarah asked her recovered friend.  
  
"I dunno Sarah, I really have no clue." Kari sighed and coughed. She had got hurt from the branch and now it had made her sick somehow, along with being outside.  
  
"Hey guys." Rene called as she came up and sat down with the rest of them on the field. "Well, the fire men are leaving. They found everyone and only a couple were still alive but they had to be rushed to the hospital."  
  
"Yea, if it's still up." Kari replied carelessly, still upset about her brother.  
  
"Hey." That boy came over. "The cops set up some camps here for us to stay."  
  
"Thanks, uh…" Kari said.  
  
"Oh, my name is Tony." He grinned.  
  
"I'm Kari, this is Sarah and her sister Rene." Kari smiled.  
  
"Well I guess we should go over there. It might be some protection from the aftershocks." Rene suggested and stood up.  
  
"Yea. But I hope we don't have to many more." Sarah added.  
  
"I don't think we will. The quake is over, for now." Tony nodded.  
  
Tuesday night @ NY  
  
"Uh, are you guys sure this is safe?" The Hurricane asked.  
  
"For the last time, no." Jericho replied.  
  
"Guys, stop fighting. This is bad enough already." Austin said. They shut up.  
  
"This is your captain speaking, we are now leaving the port." The voice said. The plane was off and in a few hours they'd be at LAX, or what could be landed on.  
  
Wednesday morning @ LA  
  
"This is your captain saying we have just arrived at LAX, be careful and try to enjoy your stay." The voice ended and the sleepy wrestlers got up and stretched.  
  
"Rough flight." Flair grumbled.  
  
"Yea, I'm not much the flying type either." Jericho yawned. They got off the plane and were taken back with shock. There weren't too many fires anymore, but the smog was overly thick with all the remaining smoke. "Oh my god." They slowly picked up their bags and looked around. The sirens were still blaring, choppers flew in the skies and the air was full of dust from the debris of the fallen buildings.  
  
"Alright, now what?" Triple H gulped.  
  
"I guess we start searching?" Jericho suggested.  
  
"Well this was your idea." Vince leered at him.  
  
"Hey, give the kid a break." RVD replied. They began to walk around. They saw their bus and put their stuff in it. A few started to get on.  
  
"What are you doing?" Jericho asked.  
  
"Boarding the bus, what's it look like?" Benoit asked.  
  
"We have to go help, come on." Jericho ran off.  
  
"Get back here twerp!" Hogan called and the others ran after. Vince and Flair watched them.  
  
"Do you think we should go too?" Vince asked.  
  
"Well, maybe we should get the stuff to the hotel first." Flair shrugged. So they did. As for the superstars, they would each meet up that night at the Holiday Inn. They split up into groups to find and help the victims. Jericho led his party of RVD, Triple H, Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan.  
  
"Ok, first thing we should do is go to piles of rubble and see if anyone's trapped." Jericho called and they turned on the first block and began to call out and search.  
  
Back at the high school  
  
"Ok guys, we have to clear the place out now." The principal called into the tents.  
  
"But where will we go?" The vice principal asked.  
  
"We just wander the streets I guess, and look for people or shelter." The male PE teacher suggested. "Maybe we'll find a familiar person or something. It's all we can do."  
  
"You know he's right you know." The female PE teacher said. The kids began to take down the tents. Luckily, the kids in PE were able to get regular cloths back on.  
  
"Where are you going Kari, shouldn't we stick together?" Sarah called to her.  
  
"I have to go see Staples Center and people are still out there in trouble." Kari turned around. "You can come if you like, but I'd prefer you not, I don't want you to get hurt. I dunno when the next time I'll see you will be. But if it won't be for a while," Kari walked over to Sarah who stood up from folding a tent. "Best friends forever?"  
  
"Best friends forever." Sarah nodded and they hugged.  
  
"Bye Rene, Tony." Kari hugged them too.  
  
"Bye Kari." Rene sniffed.  
  
"Be careful out there." Tony patted her.  
  
"Thanks guys, I will." Kari nodded and walked off. As she began to exit the school, she saw an LAPD officer with a small brown Chihuahua. "Hey, officer!"  
  
"What is it?" He came over and dog began to get excited.  
  
"That's my dog, where'd you find her!" Kari picked her up and held her close.  
  
"She was just wandering the streets." The man replied. "I'm glad I found her owner." He tipped his hat and walked back into the schoolyard.  
  
"Oh Meko!" Kari held her dog close, she licked her. "Come on girl." She set her down and they began to head downtown. As they walked, Kari saw that the main street was totally destroyed. "Wow, look at all these stores ruined. Hey, that one was cool! Aw man, this is gonna be so hard and expensive to fix. I wonder if we will be able to." She began to cough again, her dog looked at her and then her ears perked up.  
  
"Hey, somebody out there?" A muffled voice called.  
  
"Hey, who's there?" Kari ran over to a pile of concrete.  
  
"Help me, I'm trapped." The voice cried. Meko barked. Kari began to pull off the hunks of wall until the man was free. "Oh thank you so much little girl. I thought I was gone for."  
  
"You're welcome, I'm glad you're safe." Kari grinned.  
  
"Oh no, my wife was inside!" The man cried. Kari looked up at the building they stood before.  
  
"Who's that?" A faint voice asked.  
  
"You're alive? Katie?" The man called.  
  
"Bob!" The voice cried. "I'm trapped." Bob tried to climb up the demented store but was injured.  
  
"Don't worry, I can get up there." Kari said and began to climb up. She climbed up to the second story where the voice was. "Hey, where are you?"  
  
"Here." Katie called, she was trapped under a big door. "My leg is stuck."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll get you out." Kari nodded and began to lift up the heavy door. "Try and crawl out." Kari struggled and Katie was able to slowly squirm out.  
  
"You saved me. Thank you." Katie stood up.  
  
"Here, I'll help you get down." Kari helped her to the hole in the wall. Katie was able to climb down.  
  
"Are you ok?" Bob asked and they hugged. "Thank you so much." They left.  
  
"Hey Meko, I'm a hero." Kati grinned as her dog wagged her tail. "I'm gonna come down now."  
  
"Hey, I thought I heard a voice over here." One of the wrestlers was saying. They were still looking on the main street but had only found two people alive.  
  
"Look out girl, I don't want you to get hit by something that falls." Kati said as she climbed down.  
  
"Look over there." Kurt pointed. He was pointing at Kari. "Is she stuck?"  
  
"I dunno, let's go over." Hogan replied and they began to walk over. Meko barked at Kari as she climbed down the rickety building.  
  
"Don't worry girl, I'm almost- ah!" She cried as the ledge of wall she was on gave way and she fell.  
  
"Oh no, she might be hurt!" RVD cried and they ran over. Meko barked at them.  
  
"Oh my god, it's that girl!" Chris gasped. Kari was out cold. "I bet she was looking for survivors too."  
  
"Well she must have finished this area already. Come on, let's take her to safety." Triple H said and helped Jericho pick her up.  
  
That afternoon  
  
"Did she wake up yet?" Jericho asked again.  
  
"No." Kurt growled. They were in the hotel, none of the others were there. Kari was laying in the bed and Kurt had put a wet towel on her forehead.  
  
"Should we go searching again?" Triple H asked.  
  
"Maybe we should just leave it to the LAPD." Hogan shrugged.  
  
"Yea, I mean, it's been about two days." RVD replied. Kari began to stir.  
  
"Hey, Chris?" Kurt motioned him to come over. Meko lay on the bed next to her.  
  
"Kid?" Jericho came over and sat down on the bed. Kari opened her eyes.  
  
"Ah!" She gasped.  
  
"Ah!" Jericho fell back onto the floor.  
  
"Oh my god, it's, and it's, and you're, and there's, am I dead now?" Kari gulped.  
  
"Uh, no." Jericho replied as he got up. "We saved you."  
  
"Wow, you did?" Kari squeaked, really excited. "I love you guys!"  
  
"What, because we saved you or have you always?" Jericho asked.  
  
"No, I always have." Kari grinned. "I'm your biggest fan Chris."  
  
"And he's yours. I think you're the main reason he wanted to come." RVD replied. Chris cleared his throat and Kari blushed and giggled.  
  
"Meko!" Kari looked down and Meko licked her. "Good girl."  
  
"So kid, what's your name?" Triple H asked.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Kari Ketchum." Kari grinned. "Don't worry, I already know all of you guys." They smiled back at her but she began to cough again and they jerked.  
  
"Hey, you ok?" RVD patted her back.  
  
"I dunno, I guess." Kari said when she stopped.  
  
"Maybe it's when you got hurt." Hogan replied.  
  
"Or being out in this weather so long." Triple H added.  
  
"Here, I can help." Kurt stood up and snapped his fingers.  
  
"Oh no. Great, he has that look in his eye." Jericho slapped his forehead.  
  
"Look?" Kari cocked her head. "What is he a maniac?"  
  
"No, he just went to collage and graduated with a degree in physics." Chris groaned. Kari looked at Chris, she'd never known Kurt was that smart. He came back with a bottle of aspirin.  
  
"For fever reducing." Kurt grinned. Kari flopped back, Chris slapped his forehead. Kurt looked at them with a shrug and got out two pills with a glass of water. "Here you go." He gave them to Kari who sat up.  
  
"Thanks." She said and took them. Jericho looked down at her and smiled. Just then it was wiped off his face when everyone stood still. Kari dropped the cup and Meko began to growl and whimper. "Aftershock!" Kari cried and then it hit.  
  
"Run!" Kurt cried but Jericho tackled him down  
  
"Get down you fool!" He growled. Just then the ceiling began to crack and sound like it would shatter.  
  
"Uh oh, heads up!" RVD gasped.  
  
"Look out!" Triple H pointed as the top gave way and was headed right for Jericho and Angle.  
  
"No!" Kari cried and lunged forward, getting them out of the way safely.  
  
"Kari!" Everyone cried but she was gone under all the dust and rubble. After the shock settled down, Triple H went over to help Kari out but Jericho shoved him out of the way and Hunter tripped back and luckily RVD caught him. They watched as Chris frantically scurried through the mess to find Kari.  
  
"Kari?" He asked after lifting a piece of the mess until he found her. "Kari!" She was out cold and had some injure marks on her. Jericho pulled her out and set her on the dusty bed. "Kari, are you ok?"  
  
"Chris, you saved me?" Kari whispered as she opened her eyes.  
  
"Hey, just repaying a debt." Chris grinned down at her and she smiled back up. Everyone watched happily and relieved. The duo was safe, for now. But was it all over? 


	3. Carry on My Wayward Daughter

That night…  
  
"So, anything good on TV at this time?" RVD asked, sitting down by Kari.  
  
"Well let's see, it's Wednesday and about 8:30. Yea, According to Jim is on!" Kari grinned and turned on the TV to find news.  
  
"Aw." Everyone groaned but Kari turned up the volume. Everyone watched.  
  
"The aftershocks are officially over." The reporter from the local abc station was saying. "It's safe to come outside but be wary of the wreckage."  
  
"It's also confirmed that anyone left inside the rubble probably won't be found alive. The slim chance is about 1 in 100." An LAPD officer added.  
  
"Thanks for that addition." The reporter nodded to him. "Now we take you to a downtown skyscraper that fell and only two people made it out alive."  
  
"It was really scary, I'm surprised we made it away alive." The man said.  
  
"Yea, really. I'm the president and this is my CEO." The woman said.  
  
"And what exactly is, or was, this building?" The reporter asked.  
  
"It was and some day will be again, the building for Morgan Stanley- Dean Witter and other cooperation meetings regarding money." The man said.  
  
"It was currently being used for today for the meeting of representatives for the major car companies here in California." The woman said.  
  
"No, dad!" Kari cried, staring at the screen in horror. Everyone looked at her with shock, not expecting her to do or say something like that.  
  
"Kari, what is it?" Jericho rushed over and put a hand around her shoulders.  
  
"My dad." Kari whispered and lowered her head. "First I lost my brother at school, and now my dad at his work." She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Oh no." Triple H gasped quietly.  
  
"I'm so sorry." RVD replied with a heavy sigh.  
  
"I know what it's like to loose family, but I'm sorry I can't be much conciliation here." Kurt Angle said and sat down on a chair.  
  
"Come on guys." Jericho leered at them and looked down at Kari. She seemed so small, young and innocent to him, like a little kitty cat. "I'm sorry." He put his head on her nearest shoulder and kept his hand reassuringly on her other. She looked up at him and he tried to smile. All Kari could do was bury her damp face into his shirt. "I'm sorry Kari, I'm so, so sorry." He sniffed and leaned his head against hers to show his affection.  
  
"Whoa man, that's deep." RVD whispered to Triple H as Kurt turned off the TV.  
  
The next morning, Thursday…  
  
"Well today's the day. Are we still gonna go?" Kurt asked Vince on his cell phone. "Ok, yea I'll tell them. Sure. Alright then, see you soon."  
  
"Ready guys?" Triple H asked.  
  
"Yea, let's go." RVD said and all the wrestlers began to head in the direction of Staples Center. Kari, naturally, lead the way.  
  
"Is Vince or anyone there yet?" The Rock asked.  
  
"No, we're all gonna meet there." Stone Cold replied.  
  
"I just hope and pray it still stands." Kari choked as they walked down the empty streets of Los Angeles. It took about half an hour but the gang finally made it to the area. "Oh my freakin god!" Kari fell to her knees and the wrestlers looked at her strangely.  
  
"Kari, what's wrong?" Jericho asked.  
  
"Yea, it's still standing." RVD shrugged.  
  
"Thank god, there is a god!" Kari sobbed happily and bowed to the arena.  
  
"Dam." Triple H laughed and Hulk Hogan shrugged.  
  
"Well come on, I'll be Vince is waiting." The Rock said and they all went over. Soon everybody met up with Vince.  
  
"Alright, the show is still scheduled. Everyone remember their roles?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." Everyone said drone-like.  
  
"Good." Vince nodded with a smile and noticed the teenager whom Jericho rested his arm on. "And you are…?"  
  
"Oh, I'm Kari Ketchum, Mr. McMahon. Believe me, it's a real honor to be standing here in your presence." Kari bowed gracefully before him.  
  
"Polite little squirt aint she." Stone Cold said to Vince.  
  
"Is this your groupie?" Vince approached Jericho.  
  
"No, uh, actually, can we talk later in private?" Jericho asked.  
  
"Sure, is she coming too?" Vince asked and Jericho nodded yes. "Alright then, let's get inside."  
  
"Yay!" Kari cheered and ran into the arena.  
  
"I can tell she's a big fan." Rock laughed.  
  
"What, of us or the Lakers?" Jericho nudged him and they all went inside. After a while, they all got their gear set up in the locker rooms.  
  
"Whoa, this is so cool. Being in the Lakers locker room with all you guys." Kari was literally bouncing off the walls.  
  
"Aw, to be young again." RVD sighed happily.  
  
"Yea, glad that's over." Triple H muttered and clapped his hands as he entered the dining area where all the superstars were talking. "Ok guys, listen up." Everyone looked over. "Vince is gonna take us all out to eat at Hometown Buffet."  
  
"Yea!" Everyone cried rowdily.  
  
"Hang on, we all have to cram onto a big bus." Triple H went on.  
  
"Aw." Everyone sighed and sat down.  
  
"But the whole restaurant will be reserved for us." Triple H finished.  
  
"Yay!" Everyone got up and ran out the door.  
  
"This is so cool!" Kari said again as she ran out the door with the others. She was really psyched to be with the superstars in their everyday life, she felt like one of them. They got on the bus and Jericho, RVD and Kari sat in one seat and Triple H, Hulk Hogan and The Rock sat in the one in front of them. Kari yawned and began to fall asleep.  
  
"Man, she's had a pretty rough couple of days hu." RVD grinned as Kari fell asleep against his shoulder. "She's so cute."  
  
"What do you mean?" Triple H asked, turning around in his seat.  
  
"Not like that, but I mean look at how small she is. I mean she's like what, 17 years old? She's adorable like a little kitten." RVD put an arm around her.  
  
"Better watch out Chris, you're loosing your daughter." Hulk Hogan whispered as he turned around. Jericho laughed to himself.  
  
"I'm gonna talk to Vince during lunch, let's hope he says yes." He grinned. Soon they were eating lunch, Vince and Jericho got a table to themselves so they could talk. Chris looked over Vince's shoulder at Kari who was sitting with Hogan, Triple H and RVD. He grinned a little and gave a slight laugh. Vince looked up.  
  
"Something up Chris?" He asked and Jericho turned back to him.  
  
"Oh uh yea." Jericho snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "I, um, wanted to ask you something that's kinda important, ok?"  
  
"Shoot." Vince said as he chewed.  
  
"Well," Jericho swallowed his food. "I wanted to know if I could, well, kinda adopt Kari into this business."  
  
"What?" Vince looked confused. "I dunno if I fully understand, explain."  
  
"Oh ok, well." Jericho began to try and explain what he was saying. "I've seen what she can do, it's very impressive. I think she'd be a good wrestler."  
  
"Go on." Vince nodded.  
  
"And so I was wondering if she could be a wrestler for you and be well, kinda my tag team partner." Jericho grinned, Vince's eyes shifted. "And I had one more request." Jericho scratched the back of his head nervously. "Since her family was killed in the quake, and she and Meko have nowhere to go, I was wondering if, well, I could adopt her as my daughter." Vince's eyes widened a little in shock. Jericho tensed and gulped. "I promise I'll take good care of her, and because she's almost 18 she can travel with us and stuff and grow up learning how to be the best wrestler she can be!" He stammered.  
  
"Chris." Vince laughed and Jericho's eyes softened in fear of what Vince would say. "You shouldn't be asking me this, you have to take this up with your wife."  
  
"Jessica?" Chris was still confused, staring at Vince with a dazed stare.  
  
"If you wanna adopt her you need to ask her. If she says yes, sure she can be a wrestler. I'd be glad to have her aboard." Vince smiled at Chris and he grinned back.  
  
"Thank you" Chris replied with a relieved nod. He sighed, letting the big breath out as he got his cell phone and called his wife. "Hey Jessica."  
  
"Chris, oh my god, are you alright?" Her voice cried.  
  
"Yea I'm fine, I'm great actually." He replied.  
  
"When I found out you were in California I just got so scared." She went on.  
  
"I'm sorry." Chris said, he had no idea she felt this way. How could he ask her about Kari now?  
  
"Is it that bad there, are you in danger? I see it here on TV." She continued.  
  
"Yea it is pretty bad." Chris replied mournfully. "It's worse than that movie Independence Day."  
  
"But that was such a great movie." Jessica said.  
  
"Seriously, we're all fine. The city and the civilians aren't but we are." Chris said and cleared his throat. "Uh Jessica, I have a question to ask you."  
  
"What is it honey?" She asked.  
  
"Um, I found a girl here who's a big fan and was going to the event." Chris began. Jessica went 'mhm' to tell him to go on. "She was a hero here at her school and stuff and her family was killed here in the quake and I was, well, wondering…"  
  
"Oh Chris." Jessica cut him off. "That's so sad!"  
  
"So can we?" Chris gulped.  
  
"Of course Chris, let's please!" Jessica cried.  
  
"Really?" Chris gasped happily. "Oh thank you!"  
  
"Well I have to go, I look forward to meeting her." She laughed.  
  
"By Jess." Chris sighed with relief.  
  
"By honey." Jessica hung up and then Chris did.  
  
"Well?" Vince asked.  
  
"She said yes." Jericho grinned and picked up his soda.  
  
"Well then that's my answer too." Vince got up and walked over to Kari. "Kari Ketchum?" She looked up. "Welcome to the WWF."  
  
Whoa, that musta been really exciting! What will happen next, the event is only hours away! 


	4. Rebirth Of Y2K

Thursday afternoon.  
  
"This is gonna be so cool. Your debut is in your home town!" Chris grinned.  
  
"Yea, I know. I'm nervous." Kari shivered a bit. "I wonder how full it'll be?"  
  
"Don't worry, you'll do fine. I know it." Chris put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"So, uh, what did Vince want to talk to you about?" Kari asked to change the subject. They had all just gotten back from Hometown Buffet not too long ago.  
  
"Well, I have a surprise for you, uh, kinda." Chris blushed and sat down.  
  
"Really, what is it?" Kari asked eagerly and sat down next to him.  
  
"Well, um, I talked to Vince and he said that you could become a wrestler and stuff." Chris began and Kari grinned and nodded. "And, uh, we also talked about who would take care of you and be responsible for you." Kari grew a bit confused. "So, I suggested that you could be my tag team partner and stuff and then my wife Jessica suggested that we, err, adopt you as our own." Chris looked up for her response.  
  
"Oh my gosh." Kari was staring at him with a shocked face. Chris gulped nervously, he had no idea what she would say about all this. "That is so cool!"  
  
"It is?" Chris slowly grinned at the excited teenager.  
  
"Yes it is, I mean, this is like a dream come true!" Kari jumped up. "I'm a wrestler, I'm your tag team partner, and I'm your daughter!" She giggled.  
  
"Well I'm glad you like it." Chris laughed. "Oh, we'd better get ready for the show tonight." He looked down at Kari's tickets. "I guess you don't need those anymore, haw. You not only get to see the show you get to be in it."  
  
"Yea." Kari grinned. Chris decided to shower first so that Kari could explore or hang out or do whatever she wanted to do. He came out to hear singing.  
  
"Kari?" Chris called as he hung up his towel.  
  
"LA told me you'll be a big star, all you have to change is everything you are. Don't compare me to Brittany Spears, she's so pretty I'm nowhere near." She sang.  
  
"Wow, you have a nice voice." Chris came over.  
  
"Thanks." She turned and blushed, having no idea he was there.  
  
"We could make a third Fozzy CD with you in it." Chris grinned.  
  
"Really? Dam, I think I've died and gone to heaven. All my dreams and wishes are coming true." She gave a slight laugh of disbelief.  
  
"I have an idea." Chris came over and pulled his cell phone out of his bag. "Why don't you call your mom?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Kari looked up at him confused.  
  
"You know, my wife, Jessica?" Chris reminded her.  
  
"Oh yea, sorry, I forgot." Kari blushed and turned on the phone. "Uh, number?"  
  
"Oh, I have it on speed dial." Chris pointed.  
  
"Duh, figures." Kari laughed and pushed the button. She waited as the tone went on for a few seconds. Chris eagerly watched her.  
  
"Hello this is Jessica." A voice answered the phone.  
  
"Wow, I can tell by your voice that you must be very pretty." Kari said.  
  
"Thanks, I guess. But who is this?" Jessica asked confused.  
  
"I'm Kari Ketchum, uh, actually you're new daughter I guess." She said.  
  
"Oh right, Chris told me about you." Jessica laughed.  
  
"So, uh, mom?" Kari asked, not used to saying mom.  
  
"Yes dear?" Jessica replied.  
  
"Tell me about who you are." Kari said, not knowing what really to say.  
  
"Well, I live here in Tampa and am a part time reporter." She said. "You?"  
  
"I'm a wrestler, I'm actually starting today as Chris's, err, dad's partner. Other than that, uh, I just graduate high school and live here in LA." Kari shrugged.  
  
"Oh, sorry honey, I have to go. Love you." Jessica said on the other end.  
  
"You too mom. By." Kari said as they both hung up.  
  
"Don't worry Kari, I know everything seems weird and stuff, but I know you'll do just fine." Chris put a hand assuringly on her shoulder and she looked up. "Why? Because Kari, you're my daughter." He grinned and she smiled back up at him. The show was going to start at 5 because of it being live and the east coast is 3 hours ahead of them.  
  
"Ready?" Chris asked as they got to the gorilla position.  
  
"Yea." Kari gulped, nervous.  
  
"Remember what I told you." Chris reminded and she nodded. His music began and he jumped out of the curtains and onto the stage to pose as the lights blared back on.  
  
"Cue mike!" Kari heard one of the production crew guys say behind me. The music faded and the crowd began to cheer the newly become dad in the ring.  
  
"You know." He began and they began to quiet down. "Being here in Los Angeles." He paused for a major pop. "It reminds me of Hollywood and the movies, and when I think of that, I'm reminded of what happened last Monday night on Raw." A boo fills the sold out arena as Chris smirks at the crowd's enthusiasm. "It reminds me of when I was fighting Hulk Hogan," A cheer rises up. "And when Goldust burst into our match to hit me on the back of my head with a steel chair." A boo begins to form again. "Yea, I agree. Well, he got what he was coming to him, The Undertaker beat the crap out of him" A cheer rises up once more. "So tonight it's Hogan and Taker against that looser buzz, that freak of Hollywood Blvd." The fans begin to chant the Y2J chant. "Now I know that Goldust is your hometown hero, so to speak, but I." He paused slightly for the cue.  
  
"Get ready Kari, you're coming up." The crew manager whispered. She nodded.  
  
"But why don't we all," Chris went on and an image appeared on the screen. It looked like his old countdown only it read Y2K on it. The countdown began at 10 and was going down fast. "What's this?" He began to pace around. The arena darkened and the crowd began to fidget around with restless excitement. The fireworks blasted and the sound of AAF's Smooth Criminal blared through the arena. The lights flashed back on to reveal Kari on the ramp. The crowd began to cheer, not knowing who she was, but they were happy to be the ones to have this new superstar debut in their hometown.  
  
"I have to stop you right there Chris." Kari held up her first finger and Chris grinned, putting a hand on the back of his neck. "Los Angeles," Pop. "My hometown," Another pop. "Has a new hero." They continue to cheer. "Me, Kari Ketchum!"  
  
"Kari?" Chris laughed and gave a comical sigh. "I thought the Y2K bug was back." He began to walk around as Kari gave him a scowl.  
  
"I don't suppose you remember me." She muttered into the mike.  
  
"I," Chris squinted to look at her. "If I do I'm suffering memory loss kid."  
  
"It's me, Kari Ketchum. We went to Kings games right across the street at the civic center." Kari pointed to the side of the arena in direction of the smaller center right next door to the glorious Staples Center. The crowd began to cheer like mad wild fans.  
  
"Kari? Is that you? It's been so long!" Chris laughed and rubbed his head.  
  
"Well, you might as well say hello." Kari began to walk to the ring and Chris looked at her confused, he mouthed the word 'what' as she did. "Say hello to your new partner." She went up the stairs as the crowd cheered. "Say hello to Y2K Kari Ketchum!"  
  
"Uh, hello." Chris waved slightly as the crowd still raved. "You, a wrestler?"  
  
"You seem surprised." Kari winked at him. "A teenage female wrestler? Shocking! One who just graduated from, Los Angeles High School?" The fellow students in the crowd began to root but looked at her carefully, recognizing her at last in shock. "Well you'd better believe it because that's the truth, that's what's happening and that's that." She posed in the ring as the crowd gave an enthusiastic pop to the young superstar.  
  
"Well," Chris said after a major chanting of Y2K. "Welcome then. I look forward to working with you." He reluctantly held out his hand. Kari looked at him, cockheaded.  
  
"Oh no, no, no." She laughed and moved closer to him. "I had, this, in mind." She hugged the startled wrestler. A pop began to form as Break the Walls Down hit and the two went backstage to get ready for their matches.  
  
"Good job guys." The sound director patted them on the back as he went by.  
  
"You did great." Chris patted Kari on the shoulder.  
  
"Isn't it a little weird that a dad and his daughter are posing as a guy and his long lost girlfriend on TV? Won't mom be mad?" Kari asked, her stomach full of excitement.  
  
"Yea, but don't worry. You'll only be with me until I loose the title at WrestleMania to Triple H and you loose the Women's title to Trish." Chris said.  
  
"We're gonna be the champs? Dam we're gonna be like Triple H and Stephanie, the McMahon-Helmsly era, no, the Ketchum-Jericho era." Kari giggled.  
  
"Then after that happens I start to fawn over Lita and you get pissed off at the feelings I left you for and you go with Triple H and have a good long run." Chris said.  
  
"You mean it? That's gonna be so cool!" Kari jumped up and down.  
  
"Calm down kid, we still have to get ready for our match." Chris laughed. "You'll be taking on Terri for the number one contendership for the title against Stephanie."  
  
"Right dad, I remember." Kari nodded and they got ready. "Uh dad, isn't Terri from Hollywood too?"  
  
"She did live here when she and Goldust were going out." Chris remembered.  
  
"I knew that." Kari nodded with a grin as they got on their gear and set up.  
  
"Good luck out there." Chris patted her back as she went to the gorilla position and met up with Terri.  
  
"Hi Terri." Kari grinned cheerfully.  
  
"Hi, you're Kari?" She asked. Kari nodded. "Oh hi, good luck out there."  
  
"You too." Kari said respectfully. Terri's music hit.  
  
"Now remember, after you land your finisher." Terri ran out of the curtains.  
  
"I know, I've watched all my life, I know by now." Kari said as she did. Then her music hit and the crowd went ballistic as the newcomer came out and went to the ring.  
  
"And making her way to the ring, from Los Angeles, California." The announcer paused for the big pop. "Kari Ketchum!" The crowd jumped up and cheered. The bell rang and Terri and Kari looked at each other. Terri began to crouch down but Kari held out her hand with a grin. The crowd cheered at this gesture and they shook hands to created another big pop. Then they began to fight. It was a good match. Terri got a near pin fall from a moonsault off the top rope, and Kari had Terri in a good roll up after an apron lionsault (a form of the stratusfaction). But it was coming down to the end. Terri was choking Kari against the ropes but the ref drew her back and Kari fell to all fours. She looked up as the ref moved out of the way and dove at her with a catasault (her spear finisher) and got the cover. The crowd counted along 1, 2, 3! Ding, ding! "The winner of the match and the number one contender, Kari Ketchum!" The crowd went nuts as Kari panted as her hand was raised in victory in front of her hometown on her very first day.  
  
"That was great!" She was so excited after the match she ran to the locker room and rushed onto Chris and hugged him with joy. "This is so cool, I love this! Oh!" Kari ran out of the room and found Terri. Chris laughed at her energy. "Terri!" She called and Terri turned around. "Thank you for laying down for me, it means a whole lot."  
  
"Sure." Terri grinned. "I understand, we all know what you're life has as of late and you could deserve a break, as well as a real treat."  
  
"What are you gonna do now though?" Kari asked.  
  
"I'm gonna start a feud with Ivory." Terri grinned.  
  
"Oh, ok. That's cool." Kari smiled back and they went to their locker rooms. Chris had already gone for his match so Kari changed and showered and cleaned up by the time Chris was back. "So dad, how did it go?"  
  
"Well they won, though Taker hit me with a chokeslam at the end." Chris replied.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Kari laughed, knowing it was all part of the story line.  
  
"So are you ready to go back yet?" Chris asked. "The show's over now."  
  
"Yup." Kari grinned. "No wait, there's something I have to do." She ran off. Chris shrugged and went to take a shower. Kari ran to the gorilla position right as Undertaker was leaving the ring. "Cue my music after he comes through."  
  
"Ok." The crewmember nodded and as Taker passed he hit her music. "Go."  
  
"Right." Kari ran out with a mike and everyone cheered again, not expecting her. Some of them were already getting ready to leave. "Hey everyone." They sat down and applauded. "Some of you probably know me while many of you don't. Well, my name is Kari Ketchum, I just graduated from high school and now I'm a wrestler here."  
  
"Hi Kari, remember me from English class?" A voice cried.  
  
"Well," Kari laughed. "Your voice does sound familiar." The crowd began to yell things at her like what the first person did. "Ok, quiet down a sec, I have something to say." They hushed up and many of the guys in the back were watching this on TV and saw how she could play the crowd in her hand. "As you know, we were plagued with a serious disaster a few days ago and things aim to recover not to soon." The crowd began to murmur. "I want you to know that I feel your pain. I lost a great deal of friends, not to mention my family while I was in school graduating as the travesty struck. I hope you all will do just fine and it's hard for me to leave you all but you know I have to." They began to clap for her bravery. "Thank you, I promise that I will help with the recovery with all I can because you all and I are one, we have a pride deep inside and a bond that will never be broken. It's something that only we in southern California will ever share, like the pride of being an American." Some of the superstars began to come onto the stage to watch this, but most of the crowd didn't even notice them. "So as I leave my home for the first time ever, I want you all to be the ones to hear this. I love you all and I will be back, you all have a place in my heart that none other can replace. Heh, this is kind of hard to say because I don't have many words in my vocabulary to try and say what I'm saying." A laugh formed. "Well you understand what I mean right?" She tried not to blush.  
  
"Yea!" The crowd cheered and gave the hero a standing ovation.  
  
"Thank you. Good luck and good by." She bowed respectfully and her music hit as she left the standing ovation of fans to go back to their homes or what they had.  
  
"That was cool Kari." Chris said as they all walked back with her.  
  
"I only wish I could do something to help us all." Kari sniffed. "That's all I can do for them, is help them feel better. But what is that worth in the material world?"  
  
"It must be hard for you to leave." Vince said, walking with the group.  
  
"Yea." Kari wiped her eyes. "But I know I have to."  
  
"Well I'm proud of you, you proved this week of how much of a hero you could be. And I promise that we'll all help with the recovery of LA." Vince assured.  
  
"Yea." Everyone agreed and some near her patted her back with encouragement.  
  
"Thanks." Kari grinned, teary eyed. "And I want you to know that if there's ever anything you want or need help with, I'm there for each and every one of you." They all got their things and headed out of the arena. Kari remembered the many times she'd come to this very arena and stand outside to see the cars come in the afternoon and leave late in the night. When her and Chris's car came out of the parking garage they were met by a loud cheer from the fans. Kari poked her head out and waved, seeing many familiar faces. Among them, one was the boy who had helped her earlier. "By Tony!"  
  
"By Kari!" Tony waved as the car drove out of sight. "And thank you."  
  
"Good by." Kari said quietly as the arena went out of sight as they drove on the freeway. She rolled up the window of the Benz as the cars made their way to LAX.  
  
"Well we're going up to Arco Arena now." Vince said. "Sacramento."  
  
"Kari I know this is hard but I know you're strong and can do it." Chris said.  
  
"Yea, I know, you're right, I'm sorry." Kari sighed, staring out the window.  
  
"Don't be, believe me kid, this is hard for us all." Vince put a hand on her as the airport came into view. "You are probably one of the bravest, strongest people I know." Kari petted Meko on her lap as she slept. They got their things and boarded the plane.  
  
"Welcome aboard this non-stop flight, Los Angeles to Sacramento." The pilot said and the plane took off. Kari had never been in a plane before but that's not all that made her sick to her stomach. The plane rose into the air but the city was still immanent to see. Kari wiped a tear from her eye as she saw the last view of her home but knew that when she'd return that it would all be better, hopefully. But her last view of her once proud and mighty hometown was that of an LAPD officer changing the sign at the Los Angeles City Limit billboard. He removed the attachment that read: 'over 3 million and counting', and replaced it with one that said 'once 3 million, now about 1 million and decreasing'. The plane flew out of site... The End, well, for now. 


End file.
